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N. PETERs. PNOm-UUIDGRAPHER, WASHINGTDN D C niet HMM.

JAMES B. FOOTE, OF HAMDEN, ASSIGNOR TOANDREW BUCKHAM, OF DELHL'NEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 88,704, dated .April 6, 1869.

SIDED-WAY ATTACHMENT FOR CLQ'VERED ROADWAYS.

The Schedule referrer to in these Letters Patent and making part bf the saine.

To all whom 'it mayconcern:

Be it known thatl, JAMES B. Foo'rn, of the town of Hamden, in thecounty of Delaware, and State of 'New York, have invented a new and useful improvement, whereby the crossing of the oors of covered bridges and other .covered structures, such as barns, wagon-houses, sheds, -Ste., with sleighs, cutters, and other similar vehicles, during the winter-season, will be greatly facilitated; and I do herebyT declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the lletters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification, in whichy ,Figure l is a perspective View of my improvement, applied to the floor of a covered bridge or other covered structure. g

Figure-2 is a longitudinal section of the same.

Figures 3,- 4, and 5, are transverse sections of the saine.

Figure 6 is a transverse'section, showing the substitution of au iron block, in place of the rollers, during the summer.

Figure'l, additional drawing N o. l, is a transverse section, showing a method of application, in which the licor-planks ac t as guides for the runners of the sleigh or other similar vehicle.

Figure 2, additional drawing No. 1,-is a transverse section, showing the rollers covered up, during the summer.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts- A representing the door, or door-planks of a covered bridge or other covered structure.

B represents wooden string-pieces, supporting the boxes, or chairs ln which the rollers revolve.

C represents ,the beams supporting the floors of covered bridges and other covered structures.

P represents planks 4to cover up the rollers with dur- Vring the summer, and at the same time serve also as Hoor-planks. l

R. represents the rollers by means of which the passage over the doors of said-covered bridges and other covered structures, with sleighs and other similar vehicles, is facilitated.

S represents a sleigh or other similar vehicle.

a represents guidefstlips, to prevent the runners of' the sleigh from getting oi the rollers, when plain cylindrical rollers arensed, in the manner shown in figs. 1 and 3.

b represents the runners of a sleigh or other similar vehicle.

c represents the journals of the rollers R.

i (l represents journal-boxes, or chairs, in which the rollers R revolve.

e represents metallic plates, to protect the edges of the holes in the licor' in which the rollers revolve.

' f represents iron blocks, which may bepnt in the place of the rollers during the summer-season, when wheeled vehicles are in use.

The nature of my iinvention consistsin applying to, or combining with the floors of covered bridges and other covered structures, metallic or wooden rollers, arranged in two rows, as shown in the drawings, for the purpose of enabling sleighs and other similar vehicles to be drawn easily 'over them, the rollers being used as a substitute for snow, to lessen the friction caused by the rubbing of the sleigh-run`ners on the oors of said covered bridges and other covered struc tures.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation. l

R represents metallic or Wooden rollers, provided with, or working ou journals c, which journals work in journalsboxes, or chairs d.

These journal-boxes may be secured directly to the floor-planks, or secured to, or supported upon stringpieces, or joists B; or the journals may be made to Work in plain pipe-boxes, let into said joists; or the journals may work in holes bored in the joists; or the rollers may be placed in frames or string-pieces framed together, and secured to the door, as shown in iig. 5, the frames being made in convenient lengths, so that they may be removed from the door or replaced, with ease, when desired.

The rollers R may be made either solid or hollow, as

desired, `and may be either a plain cylinder, as `shown in iig. 3, or -made with one or. two flanges, somewhat in the form of a spool, as shown in figs. 4 and 5.

The rollers are arranged in `two rows, as shown iu igs. 1, 3, 4, and 5, and in figs. 1 and 2, additional drawing No. lfthe rollers in each row being placed at short distances apart, so that each runner of the sleigh or other similar Vehicle may rest on two or more of the rollersat the same time, as shown in'g. 2, for the purpose of securing a steady motion to the sleigh or other similar vehicle while passing over them.

rollers, to accommodate all widths of sleighs generallyused.

the door of a covered bridge or other covered structure, with the intention of making them aperlnanent adjunct thereto, or part thereof, for the purposes above stated,

they may be placed so that the top surfaces ofthe rollers will project just sufficiently above the top surface of the Hoor to keep the runners of the sleigh clear of the Hoor-planks, while passing over them, as shown in iig. 2, in which position they will not materially interfere with 'the passage of wheeled vehicles over the said oors.

When plain cylindrical rollers are applied in this manner, it will be knecessary to use guide-strips a a, gs. 1 and 3, made of metal or wood, or wood faced with metal, to prevent the runners of the sleigh from slipping off the rollers. But when flanged rollers are used, these guide-strips are not necessarily required, as the flanges themselves are suflicient to prevent the runners from slipping off. One flange on each roller is sulicient to prevent the runners from slipping olf, but two flanges, as shown in iig. 4, may be used, if desired.

Another goed method of application is shown in additional drawing No. 1, iig. l, which represents a transverse section of the ioor through the centre of the rollers.

In this mode, or method of application, the topsurfaces of the rollers lt It are placed below the general top surface of the door-planks, the top surfaces of the rollers It R being about on a level with the under side of the floor-planks A A, the ends of which Hoor-planks come only to the ends of the rollers, as` shown iu the drawing, thus forming a continuous groove, or channel the whole length of the vfloor and the depth of the floorplanks, which acts as a guide for the runners b b of the sleigh S, while the same is passing over the door on the rollers.

The edges, or ends of the floor-planks on each side of the groove may be faced with iron, to prevent the floor-planks from being worn by the sleigh-runners, if desilled.

Indthe summer-season, or at any time when the rollers are not requred for use, this groove, or channel is filled up by si ply laying down planks P P in it, of the same `thickness as the floor-planks, and of sufficient width to fill the grooves, and fastening them down to keep them iu place, which, when properly done, will make the top surface ofthe floor of the same general level throughout, and the rollers, being thus all covered up by the planks P P, are protected'from injury, and the top surface of the door left free from any obstruction to the passage of wheeled vehicles, as shown in iig. 2, additional drawing No. l. In the winter-season, or 'at any time when the rollers'are required; for use, the lin'es of planks P P are lifted up'out of thev grooves, or channels, and laid aside, out of the Way, until again required for filling up the grooves; or, if desired, the planks P P may be. spiked down on the floor, between the grooves, as shown in fig. l, additional drawing No. l, thus forming an additional protective guide-strip, or guard, to prevent the runners b b of the slei 'h S from getting otl' the rollers R. R. This additionaguard, however, is not actually necessary.

The space between the rollers, at the bottom of the grooves, or channels, is properly filled in with/plank,

When these rollers are applied to, or combined with so that the feet of the horses may not be injured, should they step into the grooves, care being taken that the rollers havefreedom to` revolve, and that lthe top surfaces of the rollers are suiiiciently elevated above the top surface of the planking, at the bottom of the grooves, to keep the runners of the sleigh from rubbing on it.

This last-described method of application is well adapted to barn-floors, where grain and other seeds are threshed out, as the rollers can all be covered up, and the iioor made level for threshing, and if the planks P P are made to fill up the grooves nicely, no grain or seeds can be lost through the openings, or holes in the floor in which the rollers revolve.V

For convenience of repairs, the holes in the floorplanks, when therollers are applied as kdescribed in either of the two last methods, should be eut large enough toadmit of the rollers being lifted up out of their places at any time it may be desirable to doso; and, for likereasons, the journal-boxes shouldbe constructedin such a manner to admit of theA rollers heilig taken out at anytime desirable.

Metallic plates e should also be used to protect the edges ofthe floor-planks at the holes in which the roll ers revolve, as also to prevent the horses feet from being caught in the space between the loor and the rollers, when the same are in use.

rlhese plates are made with a hole to fit over that part of the rollers projecting above the surface of the floor-planking, which hole is just suiiciently large to allow the roller to revolve freely in it, the rest of the plate being sufficiently large to completely cover the hole in the oor-plaliking, the top surface of the plates being sunk to a level with the surface of the fioorplanks, if desired,

If desired, the rollers may be made to revolve on journals passing through the rollers; but this method is somewhat objectionable, on account of the journal wearing more on one side than the other. If, therefore, for any particular reason, this method is used, it will be well to allowr freedom of revolution to both the journal and roller, so that the journal, by occasionally turning, may present a fresh surface for the roller to revolve upon, and thus wear equally all around.

Metallic rollers should in all cases be used Where it is possible to procure them, but wedden rollers may be used to accomplish the same results, if desired, in which case metallic journals should be used, if it is possible to procure them conveniently, as the strength of metallic journals, in proportion to their size, is far greater, and the friction less than wooden ones.l

It will easily be perceived that two or more tracks, or double rows of rollers ,may be applied to the floor of a bridge at the same time, if desired, so that teams going in opposite directionsmay pass each other without loss of time; er, in the ease of hotel-sheds or wagonhouses, thatv several vehicles may be accommodated on different tracks at the same time. I

It is also evident that one row of rollers, sufciently long to answer the purpose, might be used, instead of two rows of short rollers; but I do not consider they would so well accomplish the results required, or possess so-many advantages, as with two rows of short rollers the strain on any one particulary roller, or journal is less, the liability yof being broken by a heavyloaded wheeled vehicle passing over the centre of the roller is less, and the short ones are easier covered up and protected than long ones. l

The advantages derived from the use of this invention are obvious. In the winter-season, when the roads are covered with snow, sleighs and other similar vehicles are generally used in travelling from one place to another, and are easily drawn over the snow-covered roads; but the floors of covered bridges and other covered structures, being destitute of snow, oierconsiderable resistance to the passage of said vehicles, on

account of the great friction caused by the rubbing of What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure thev runners of -the same upon the bare planks of the by Letters Patent issaid floors. In combination with the oors of covered bridges and 'lhis di'culty, however, is entirely obviated by the other covered structures, rollers arranged as shown, and use of this invention, as the sleigh or other similar vefor the purposes set forth in the above speccation.

hicle can be drawn over the said floors, upon the 2ibove- JAMES -B FOUTE described rollers, with even more ease than they can be drawn over the snow-coveredroafds. WIIIGSSGS:

Having thus fully described myinvention, and some T. F. MCINTOSH,

' of the modes, or methods which I deem best of apply O. F; CHURCHILL.

ing it usefully, 

